Fitness:Low Bar Back Squat 3×5
Continue your linear progression by adding 5lbs to your previous exposure weight

Performance: High Bar Pause Squat 75%x2x8
Rest about a minute, no more than 2 minutes between sets.

Post loads to comments
BSQ e4/6 compare to 3.11.13
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Partners alternate rounds for 10 total rounds for time of:
5 Strict Toes to Bar or 21 Sit Ups
7 Heavy Dumbbell Thrusters

Post Rx and time to comments.

The Competition Floor

Appropriate scaling

by Coach Fox

We all know that CrossFit is infinitely scalable. We have CF Kids who do scaled down versions of what our regular classes look like. You tell your Mom and your Grandma that yes; they too, can walk into their local CF affiliate and get some. In Foundations at CFSBK or at a Level 1 cert, your coach lectured you that CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movement, executed at (relatively) high intensity. Remember that adjective: relatively. After CrossFitting for a while you may feel like you should do every WOD Rx’d…not so.
 
What high intensity means for all of us is different. Sometimes the difference is scaled via time/perceived effort. For example: 2 athletes complete Fran as Rx’d. Athlete A finishes in 3:00 flat, while athlete B finishes in 6:59. One took more than 2x as long as the other. Did they both get a dose of CrossFit? For sure. Let’s assume that athlete B scaled back intensity and paced the workout more and didn’t redline because he didn’t sleep well the night before and was feeling sluggish. That sounds like smart scaling to me. Here’s another scenario. Athlete A is the same, but athlete B finishes the workout in just under 12:00. He breaks the movements up into 3 or 4 at a time from start, and his movement is a mess from the 10th thruster on, missing ROM on a few of the pull-ups along the way. He was well rested and just really wanted to do his first Rx’d Fran. Here athlete B gets a very different workout. It became more a matter of slogging through to the finish instead of sprinting to the end, and the metabolic effect of the WOD was lost. Some scaling on weight or reps may have gotten him the intended effect of the infamous 21-15-9 of thrusters and pull-ups. If his thrusters were the limiting factor using a 75lb barbell may have been appropriate. If pull-ups were the time suck then maybe going 12-9-6 on that portion would have made the difference.
 
Just this week you were challenged to find your max weight for a “4 minute Grace”.  This was a great active lesson on scaling that I hope you got. Sure, sometimes it can be good just to go at a WOD Rx’d for the sake of completing it as such. There can be some real mental/emotional benefit to that. The majority of the time though, when it comes to met-cons, especially the short/intense kind, try and find where your intensity level needs to be for the intended effect of the workout. Then focus on getting stronger and the Rx’d weight will come. A good estimate for high rep barbell work is to use around 65% of your max. So if your max clean and jerk were 150lbs, then 95-100 lbs would probably get you a good dose of Grace. If you’re not sure where or when to scale, just ask one of the coaches as CFSBK. That’s what we’re here for. Cheers to good training.

What is the greatest sporting event you’ve ever witnessed? (You don’t have to had been there or seen it live)
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Analyzing the Squat Starting Strength
Application TTMJ

Spend 12 Minutes working up to a heavy load on the following complex:
1/2 Pull
Hang Power Clean
Front Squat
Split Jerk

Post loads to comments.
C&J e3/6
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For Time:
20 Kipping Pull-Ups
800m Run
20 Kipping Pull-Ups
400m Run
20 Kipping Pull-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Sam Goes Overhead During 13.1

Hit it and Quit It

The Open schedule gives us 5 days to complete each workout.  Some people notoriously attempt the workouts 2 (or more!) times in that window to try and get a better score each time. In our opinion, unless you’re on the chopping block for making it to regionals it’s best to “hit it and quit it”.  First off, lets put the Open into perspective. For most of us mere mortals this is an annual benchmark where we can see how we do versus our friends in the gym and strangers across the globe. It’s cool to see where you’re at but in terms of actual placement, the stakes are pretty low.  If you’re sitting at 1,511th place in the North East (where I’m at) re-doing the workout and moving up to say, 1,432th place does little more than to stroke your own ego… sort of I guess. While each workout IS a test, they shouldn’t interfere with your training program to the point that you’re actually not as productive in your long term goals because you spent 5 weeks doing a bunch of the same workouts over and over again. Additionally, going into the Open with the mentality that you might re-do the workouts will only weaken your initial attempt at it. Take the time to plan your strategy, watch other folks do it to inform your perspective and then give it everything you’ve got one time.  Don’t give yourself the easy out of a “re-do” just because you can. It makes about as much sense as doing “Fran” Monday day and then seeing if you can shave 3 seconds off your time on Wednesday. Maybe you can, but it doesn’t really mean that you’re any fitter necessarily, maybe you just were a little better at how you worked your transitions or broke up your reps.

The Open is awesome and one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing everyone come together to compete and see how their training over the last year has paid off.  Have fun with it, hit each workout hard and move one to the following week.

What are your thoughts on re-doing Open workouts?
________________
Interview: Coach Greg Glassman

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
115/75 pound Shoulder to overhead, 5 reps
115/75 pound Deadlift, 10 reps
15 Box jumps, 24″/20″ box

If you’re not registered for the Open, here are today’s scaling options:
115, 95, 75, 55, 35 lb barbells.
Step Ups are also considered Rx’d

Post total reps to comments.

Happy Birthday, Lauren B!

• Active Recovery is on as normall scheduled today at 11:00am

Becoming A Supple Lepoard

The long anticipated book from Kelly Starrett, “Becoming a Supple Leopard” is finally going on sale April 22nd. Tons of you guys have pre-ordered through CFSBK and will be able to pick up and pay for your book once they arrive. We’ll email out to everyone when we get them in. The gym also ordered a surplus of copies to sell to folks that didn’t make the pre-order date. If you can’t wait untl then, check out this 50 page sneak preview over at All Things Gym

Clean and Jerk Camp Today

Spend the day learning the theory and practice of the Clean and Jerk with Starting Strength Coaches Josh Wells and Shelley Hancock. We will start with a brief lecture about the difference between the standard model and the straight Bar Path model.  Then we will move to the practical session were participants with learn or re-learn the movement with the more efficient bar path and set up. Everyone will have plenty of time under the bar to practice this method while receiving coaching throughout their warm-ups and work sets. Through the entire process, attendees will learn the standards of a properly executed movement and how it should look and feel when it is performed correctly. After the practical session, we will return for a discussion of programming and how to identify and correct common technical problems. The camp will wrap up with a question and answer session. Whether you are just starting out with strength training, struggling with the basics of the lift, or looking to polish your technique and understanding of these movements, you will come away with valuable insights and experience to benefit your training. Attendance will be capped at ten to allow for individualized instruction.

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The Reverse Muscle-Up Beast Skills

Lindsey Valenzuela Enters the Competition Floor
Check out her stats below:

Workouts
Fran	2:36
Helen	8:35
Grace	1:30
Filthy 50	23:05
Fight Gone Bad	415
Sprint 400m	1:05
Run 5k	21:45

Maxes
Clean & Jerk	240 lb
Snatch	200 lb
Deadlift	395 lb
Back Squat	295 lb
Max Pull-ups	32

13.2 and Leaderboards

The second workout for the 2013 Open season is upon us. A 10 minute AMRAP triplet of medium/light weight barbell movements and Box Jumps. What are your thoughts and strategy going into this workout? Did seeing Lindsey and Annie hit this workout on Wednesday influence your approach?

Also, the CFSBK leaderboards for the open can be found on the left side of this page. Check them out!

As Many Rounds As Possible In 10 Minutes of:
5 Shoulder to Overhead 115/75
10 Deadlifts 115/75
15 Box Jumps 24″/20″

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13.2 Standards and explination
Mobility WOD 13.2 Prep and Strategy
Outlaw 13.2 Strategy and Tips

Front Squat

Fitness: 3×5
Perform your second exposure to Front Squats. Bar speed should remain quick and your positions should be perfect.

Performance: 75%x2x8
Rest 60-90 secs between reps.

Post loads to comments.
FSQ e3/6

Bench Press

Fitness: 3×8 Sets Across
Add 5lbs to last week’s exposure.

Performance: Heavy 5
Work up to a heavy set of 5. Try to beat last week’s numbers by 5-10lbs. Next week we’ll be hitting a heavy 5 again. No Failing.

Post loads to comments.
BP e3/6
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Tabata Optional
Choose one modality to perform an 8 rep Tabata Interval on:
Row, Double Unders, or Burpees.

Choose the one you suck at most.

Post highest and lowest rep rounds to comments.

The Champ at CFSBK!
Thanks to Malcolm S for the awesome pictures from last night!

Thank you!

CFSBK would like to thank everyone who came out and made the live announcement of 13.2 a huge success.  The spectators, CFHQ, the athletes, media, Littlefield and everyone else who contributed their time and talents helped put on a great show and a very memorable night. If you missed it, check out the archived broadcast here.

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This Company’s Hourly Exercise Breaks Make It More Fit, Sure, But Also More Successful

Classes are cancelled today as we will be hosting CrossFit HQ, Annie Thorisdottir and Lindsey Valenzuela for the live announcement and demo of Open Workout 13.2.  Ticket holders should have recieved an email yesterday with information on how the day will run and where to pick up your bracelets. Due to limited space this event is totally sold out and no additional guests will be allowed in.
We will resume a normal schedule tomorrow morning. Thank you for understanding!

Annie Thorisdottir and Lindsey Valenzuela

CFSBK Training Videos

Jeremy Goes For A Heavy Single On The Bench Press  David Osorio
Christian Reiss Goes for a 1RM Deadlift David Osorio
Kettlebell, Pull-Up WOD Demo with Josh and McDowell David Osorio
CFSBK Collected Training: V1 David Osorio

Why Are We Discouraging Failing?

     You may have noticed that we strongly discouraging people from failing on their lifts this throughout our training cycles.  The rational behind this is two fold.  Firstly, when you fail, it means you’ve tested your absolute limit. You’ve gone to the horizon of your capacity and fallen over the edge. In the context of Testing new rep maxes, this is okay and a necessary part of strength training.  However every day is not a test and we don’t want you to max out to failure with any regularity. Our day in, day out workouts should be considered Training and an opportunity to go a little bit heavier than your previous efforts without reaching your absolute limits.  Training to failure too often can be taxing on the central nervous system and actually slow down your progress. If you focus on going “a little heavier than last time” you keep pushing the ceiling of your potential a little big higher instead of busting right through it and having no where to go but back down.
     The second major reason we want to make failing a rarity is for the psychological stress and negative expectations it can put on you.  If you’ve trained yourself to think, “okay when things get hard I’ve got an easy escape route in bailing” you learn to give up more often and associate missed reps as a regular part of your routine.  They don’t become significant, they don’t become a wake up call on where you’re at.. they just become the norm.  This can subtly undermine a lot of your self expectations and the mindset you bring into your lifts. 
     All that being said, we don’t want you to avoid lifting heavy and training hard. Once your technique is in order, you’re expected to grind through lifts.  Maximal Effort Method training is a staple of our programming and one of the best ways to get strong. It should feel difficult, it should feel heavy and you should expect to fight for it. Just like in real life, you don’t start fights you don’t think you can win, especially on a regular basis, all that does is screw with your confidence and send you limping home.  A skilled athlete doesn’t need to miss reps to know where their potential for the day is.  They have an innate sense of what they’re capable of and when to call it quits.  Any missed lifts moving forward should be considered learning experiences on your physical capacity, psychological outlook, technique and always put into the context of the intended training stimulus for that day.

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CrossFit Games Update Show, March 12th

The only classes we’ll be running today are at 6am, 7am, 8am and 12pm as CrossFit Media will be in house setting up the event for tomorrow. Wednesday we will not be running any classes.

Bekka P during 13.1

Check out “The Professor” Samir Chopra’s excellent article on “The Zen of Weightlifting“

Attention 13.2 Ticket Holders!

If you registered to spectate tomorrow’s event you will be recieving an email with the itinerary and outline for the event by this afternoon. We’re extremely excited to be hosting CrossFit HQ and the live announcement of Workout 13.2 with Annie Thorisdottir and Lindsey Valenzuela.

The Sophomore Slump

by Noah Abbott

It’s inevitable. At some time during this great journey that is Crossfit, things are going to get tough.  Your strength numbers stop shooting up, and your metcon times stop plummeting down.  At a certain point what Mark Rippetoe calls the “Beginner Effect” wears off, and you are now faced with the daunting prospect that each gain, each skill mastered, and each second shaved will be done so at the cost of a considerable investment of time, focus, and will.  

Often, concurrent with this realization, you will look around and think “why isn’t this happening to anyone else!”  The guy you share a squat rack with has added 40 pounds to his squat this exposure, while you’ve risked an aneurysm to add 15!  The girl you did foundations with just hit 100 consecutive double unders, and you approach the jump rope like its an anaconda looking to wrap you up and eat you!  You thought you were great at this stuff, and all of a sudden it feels like you barely deserve to wear the ol’ skull and crossbones and call yourself a CFSBKer.

For many, this phenomenon occurs somewhere between 6 and 18 months into an athlete’s development, although it can certainly happen sooner or later, depending on your previous training history.  Often times this double edged revelation- That a) shit is gonna be hard, and b)that on the giant Crossfit spectrum your abilities rate closer to Jason Schwartzman’s than Jason Khalipa’s- results in a drop of motivation, general malaise, and sometimes a loss of CrossFaith.

Congratulations!  You are now a Crossfit Sophopmore, and experiencing your first Sophomore Slump!  At this time it may be meritorious to examine the roots of the word Sophomore.  Although commonly used to refer to the second year of high school or college instruction, it derives its name from the greek sophisma, which means “acquired skill, clever device, method” which was further derived from sophos, meaning “wise or skilled.”  Previously you made gains randomly, almost accidentally, and every lift or metcon was a PR.  Now, as a Sophomore, you must practice sophisma and train methodically and with greater perspective to ensure continued success.

Redefine Goals and Timeframes

At the start of your Crossfit career, goals were short-term challenges and triumphs.  Kicking up to a handstand, one (or ten, or twenty) push-ups or pull-ups, squatting to depth- these were things that you could identify, work on for a relatively short amount of time, and achieve.  For further development as a Sophomore, a redefinition of goals is necessary.  

Previously, we planned forward to achieving a goal.  “I want to squat 200 pounds by the end of the month.”  Looking forward, I challenge you to plan backwards.  Identify your goal, figure out how many training days you can allot per week or month to work on it, and set a long enough timeframe that you will be able to keep progressing slowly and steadily towards success.  Make sure to start submaximally (using weight/reps/etc lower than your current max) to make sure you have room to grow.  The more you can delay hitting the ceiling of your current ability, the more room your ability will have to grow. By starting low, aiming high, and giving themselves ample time to grow Smart Sophomores avoid Ceilings (I think I just made up a new saying!).

Perspective

Even with perfect planning, great focus, and sustained intensity, some movements,workouts, or even time/weight modalities (Grace vs Murph) will always seem to crush us.  Mobility, diet, sleep, injury history- all of these things blend into potent cocktails that besiege the fledgling (and intermediate, and expert) Crossfitter.   Instead of getting frustrated why not try and re-frame the problem:

First, embrace every exposure to them as an opportunity to practice perfectly and gather experience and insight about a difficult adversary.  Relish in attacking your weaknesses, and try your best to attend days when those weaknesses are programmed, or program them yourself during open gym days.

Second, actively try to maintain perspective about what Crossfit means in your life and your personal reasons for why you keep showing up to a funky old warehouse to get sweaty.  Aside from the infinitesimal percentage of elite, competitive Crossfit athletes, most of us come to the gym for reasons that all fall under the umbrella of “Improving Quality of Life.”  Increasing work capacity, being able to participate in new and challenging activities, looking better naked- all of these are broad, life-oriented goals that we work towards every single time we come to the gym, whether its a day when we hit a PR or where we bail on every set.  

Last, remember what a great privilege it is that you have a life that allows you to spend a nice chunk of time each week picking up heavy stuff, running, jumping, and making yourself Mas Sexy (and I mean that in the broadest sense of the Spanglish malaproprism).  There are a vast number of people out there too overworked, underpaid, untrained, ignorant or otherwise unable to do the things we take for granted.  Your worst day at the gym is better than a day sitting on the couch mainlining Pringles.

Just Show Up

Which brings me to my last point and word of advice during slumps, Sophomoric or otherwise.  JUST SHOW UP.  Every day you are in the gym working is a day you are improving, even when it doesn’t feel that way.  Tangible increases in strength or speed are important, but so are intangible gains in familiarity with movements and a greater understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and limitations.  Broadening your knowledge and confidence is just as worthwhile an endeavor as broadening your back and thighs.  Sometimes you will surprise yourself with gains you make when you feel like you are standing still.  Plus, your friends want to see you, sweat with you, and laugh with you, and, if you don’t show up, your coaches will have nothing to do but compare deadlift scars and throw chalk at each other.

A Long Crossfit Road

Hopefully after reading this, some of you will feel rejuvenated, and apply these humble tools to break out of the funk you are currently in.  Although this article deals with the concept of a Sophomore Slump, rest assured there are Junior Slumps, Senior Slumps, and a wealth of postgraduate, doctoral, and extracurricular opportunities in Slump Science as well.  Now you have the weapons to fight back.   Redefine your goals and adjust your timeframes to allow steady progress towards said goals. Strive to maintain perspective and always reflect on what Crossfit means to you, why you do it.   Most importantly, even when it’s tough, find value in simply stepping into the ring.   So equipped, all of these Slumps will be just small road bumps on a long road.  Trust me, one day you’ll look back at this stuff, and laugh.

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Fatal Familial Insomina

Fitness:Low Bar Back Squat 3×5
Continue your linear progression by adding 5lbs to your previous exposure weight

Performance: High Bar Pause Squat 70%x2x8
Rest about a minute, no more than 2 minutes between sets.

Post loads to comments
BSQ e3/6 compare to 3.4.13
_______________________

AMRAP 8 minutes:
400m Run
12 Deadlifts 225/155

Modified loads:
M – 225/185/155/135/115
W – 155/135/115/95/75

Post rounds completed and Rx to comments.

Rowing On The Big Screen

Scheduling and Programming Update

As mentioned yesterday on the blog, there are no classes on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday while we host CrossFit HQ and the live announcement of Open workout 13.2 with Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Annie Thorisdottir. Below is what the programming will look like since this modifies our training schedule:

Tuesday 6am, 7am, 8am, 12pm
Mondays workout or a benchmark WOD

Thursday
Two lift Thursday. Squat and Bench, bro.

13.1 In The Books

Great work to everyone who participated in 13.1 this week. We saw some amazing efforts at the gym and lots of Snatch PRs.  One of our favorite aspects of the Open is that it pushes you to try something you would normally never do. A bunch of folks totally surprised themselves with what they could pull off. Very inspiring!

87 of you took on 13.1, here are our top performances:

Women
1. Coach Melo: 168 Reps, 10:16
2. Heidi Schnappauf: 155 Reps, 12:35
3. Ellie Myers: 150 Reps, 13:17
4. Jen Stopka: 150 Reps, 14:10
5. Coach Jess: 150 Reps, 14:55

Men
1. Coach Josh: 160 Reps, 11:42
2. Christian Reiss: 159 Reps, 11:33
3. Nick Feo: 158 Reps, 13:03
4. Matt Katz: 157 Reps, 13:05
5. McDowell Myers: 154 Reps, 12:59

Masters:

(40-44)
1. Coach Nick: 126 Reps, 5:08
2. Coach Fox: 114 Reps, 6:06
3. Charmel Rogers: 110 Reps, 10:01
4. Pierre Davidoff: 108 Reps, 6:46
5. Chris Paschke: 100 Reps, 6:00
6. David Makowski: 100 Reps, 6:48
7. Robert Fasone: 100 Reps, 9:44
8. Robert Underwood: 100 Reps, 9:45
9. Keith Walter: 100 Reps, 10:11

1. Adele Myers: 100 Reps, 10:51

(45-49)
1. Michael Ravtich: 103 Reps, 7:45
2. Dan Baldini: 100 Reps, 9:09
3. Jay Reingold: 100 Reps, 12:21
4. Jason Horowitz: 89 Reps,  14:38

(55-59)
1. Bob Semmens: 181 Reps, 16:55 (4th Overall in the North East!)

(60+)
1. Jacinto Bonilla: 152 Reps, 12:58 (6th Overall on the North East!)

Team CFSBK is currently 88th in the North East and 908 Worldwide
To see the world wide leader boards, click here

How did 13.1 go for you and what’s your guess for 13.2?
___________________
Annie Thorisdottir scores 209 on 13.1 CrossFit

Take 12 Minutes To work up to a heavy weight on the following complex:
Deadlift with pause at “Hip” position
Hip Power Clean
Front Squat
Split Jerk

Try to go heavier than last week
C&J e2/6
___________________

15 Minutes NFRs
Reverse Lunges 60%x8e
8/5 Strict Pull-Ups
:30 second L-Sit

You can either add load or break up reps on the pull-up depending on your capacity.

Yesterday we posted a photo of Julie Foucher from this years Open putting up one of the best scores in the world. The video above shows her in 2009 early in her CrossFit journey. Amazing development!

Submit your Open Scores Today!

In order for your workout to count please login and submit your score by 8pm today. Your score includes your total reps, tie break time and the name of your judge. If you didn’t take your section of the score card home, we’ve got them at the gym. You can either stop by or call the front desk at 347-83-CFSBK between 9am and 2pm today to get your details. Any issues should be directed asap to David(at)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. This video has more details about submitting your scores.

Scheduling and Programming Update

As mentioned yesterday on the blog, there are no classes on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday while we host CrossFit HQ and the live announcement of Open workout 13.2 with Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Annie Thorisdottir. Below is what the programming will look like since this modifies our training schedule:

Tuesday 6am, 7am, 8am, 12pm
Mondays workout or a benchmark WOD

Thursday
Two lift Thursday. Squat and Bench, bro.
________________
Miko Tokola.

 

17 minute AMRAP of:
40 Burpees 
30 Snatch, 75 / 45 lbs 
30 Burpees
30 Snatch, 135 / 75 lbs 
20 Burpees
30 Snatch, 165 / 100 lbs 
10 burpees
Max rep Snatch, 210 / 120 lbs

We will also offer a third scaling option for non-registered athletes of 35/55/75/95 lbs on the Snatch.
To see the complete workout description and information on the tie break rule. Please check out the Games site here.

See the world wide leader board here

DIY Movement Prep

Please show up a bit earlier than your class and perform some DIY movement prep to get yourself ready. We suggest the following:

Warm-Up: Row 3:00-4:00 at an easy pace, try to get a little sweat going
Foam Roll: Your Lats, T-Spine and inner thighs. You can use a LAX on your upper back too if you’d like.
Hip Mobility: Ground based hip mobility (like this, starting at 1:45) 2:00 Each
Shoulder Mobility: Do this classic overhead stretch 2:00 each side
Ankle Smash: Do an ankle smash using a Kettlebell handle. (Kind of like this, starting at 2:25)

Julie Foucher working towards 195 Reps

News and Notes 

• There is No Active Recovery Today
• Good luck to the the SBKers taking on this workout at CrossFit Queens today as part of the invitational Open series. 
• As you know, next week we’re hosting CrossFit HQ as they broadcast the live announcement and first competition for Workout 13.2. Because they need to be in the gym setting up the space, conducting interviews etc, the gym will be closed for Tuesday evening classes as well as all of Wednesday. This is a huge event for the CrossFit community and will be watched world wide on Wednesday night starting at 8:00pm EST.

Snatch Camp Today

Happy snatching to everyone registered for The Starting Strength Snatch Camp today with coaches Josh and Shelly. Please arrive by 2:30 to settle in and get yourself ready for the day. Proper weightlifting shoes,  Tall socks or Pants, and Tape are highly recommended.

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Jumping The Weight With Coach Burgener CrossFit